A director whose movies received 40 Academy Award nominations, David Fincher is one of my favourite filmmakers working today. His movies are the main source of inspiration for my love of film and media, and my starting point for discovering other great movies. Now that I have finally been able to watch Fincher’s newest movie, The Killer, I thought it was the perfect time to see where it fits, in my opinion, amongst all the other films that he has directed!
Note: This list does not include Alien³ (1992) because, frankly, I have no interest in seeing it and even Fincher himself technically disowns it as part of his filmography.¹
11. Mank (2020)
Mank is a biographical drama that follows director Orson Welles and screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as they develop the 1941 film Citizen Kane. Maybe it’s because I haven’t seen Citizen Kane yet, but I did not particularly enjoy Mank. While it is visually striking and impressive on a technical level, I found it difficult to engage with the story. I just prefer Fincher’s classic thrillers, so I would have to place it last out of his filmography.
10. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
In this romantic drama, Brad Pitt stars as Benjamin Button, a character who is born with a condition that causes him to age in reverse. I thought the premise was really interesting and I liked how the movie spans multiple decades, so you feel like you’re living Benjamin Button’s whole life with him. However, the pacing of this movie felt quite long, particularly in the middle, which made it difficult for me to stay invested throughout the whole runtime. Additionally, while I enjoyed Fincher’s directing and the visual storytelling, I did not feel as emotionally engaged as one should be while experiencing a typical romantic drama, and I felt like I wanted something more out of it. Once again, I mostly prefer Fincher’s classic thrillers, which is why this movie is lower on the list.
9. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Based on Stieg Larsson’s novel of the same title, Fincher’s adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a suspenseful mystery thriller with great performances and direction. Rooney Mara’s excellent portrayal of Lisbeth particularly resonated with me. Furthermore, I liked how the film’s visual style creates a very atmospheric experience and I appreciated the portrayal of Stockholm’s cold and moody landscapes, where the winter almost seems like a character of its own. However, while I can’t pinpoint any specific aspects I didn’t enjoy, my feelings towards this film lean more toward neutrality when compared to the rest of Fincher’s work.
8. Panic Room (2002)
Despite its lower ranking, I actually did enjoy Panic Room – I just think some of Fincher’s other works are better. The movie’s premise centres around a mother and daughter who trap themselves in a “panic room” for safety during a home invasion, while the burglars desperately attempt to steal the $22 million worth of bearer bonds inside the house. I like how Fincher is able to create tension in this confined space, combining suspense and creative filmmaking, with great acting by Jodie Foster and a young Kristen Stewart. In one of my classes last year, we learned about how the filmmakers used computer-generated imagery to create the illusion of moving through the house’s rooms, which was really cool and left me with a greater appreciation for its use throughout the movie.
7. The Game (1997)
The Game stars Michael Douglas as Nicholas Van Orton, an investment banker who receives a mysterious birthday gift from his brother, leading to him experiencing a series of strange events and questioning his reality. The plot is somewhat implausible and I can’t say I was satisfied with the ending, but I had a lot of fun – I was always kept guessing by the unpredictable narrative.
6. The Killer (2023)
This may be due to recency bias and is subject to change after a rewatch, but I thought The Killer was a surprisingly funny movie for a plot revolving around an assassin involved in an international manhunt after he messes up with one of his targets. For example, I thought it was amusing that he has a work mixtape with songs only by The Smiths. Also, he’s just really bad at his job as an assassin, which is hilarious when you consider the self-seriousness of his internal monologue. The structure of the movie, being split up into multiple parts each in different cities, made it feel like a television miniseries, which I liked. However, while I thought Michael Fassbender was great in the titular role, I would’ve liked more emotional insight into his personal motivations regarding certain decisions and more depth to his character.
5. Zodiac (2007)
Zodiac is about the infamous serial murderer dubbed the Zodiac Killer, who sent the police various coded messages throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s. As always, I enjoyed the direction and attention to detail Fincher puts in his work, creating an incredibly unsettling and dark atmosphere throughout the movie. Specifically, the basement scene was so intense and terrifying! While I didn’t particularly feel engaged with any of the characters, I enjoyed the movie overall.
4. Se7en (1995)
In Seven, Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt play detectives who attempt to identify and locate a serial killer who murders their victims based on each of the seven deadly sins. It is such an interesting premise, and I was surprised by how suspenseful and graphic some of the scenes were. The production design for the locations where each of the murders took place was incredible, and I appreciated the attention to detail, matching the violent city’s bleak aesthetic. The climax of the movie also remains to be one of my favourites, and makes this movie an enduring classic.
3. Gone Girl (2014)
Gone Girl begins with Nick Dunne becoming the subject of harsh media scrutiny pertaining to the sudden disappearance of his wife, Amy. I think it’s fascinating that Gillian Flynn, the author of the novel upon which the film is based, actually wrote the screenplay, so there was a lot of accuracy that went into this adaptation. Specifically, the unfolding of the plot and the pacing of different twists and turns make this movie fly by. Fincher’s signature style is evident in every frame, namely with the colour grading and cinematography, which creates a dark and atmospheric vibe. I also liked the social commentary on how the media can easily impact public perception. I was involved with putting on a screening of Gone Girl as part of one of my clubs last year, and it was so fun to rewatch it with an audience and hear the real-time reactions to certain plot twists.
2. Fight Club (1999)
“The first rule of fight club is … you don’t talk about fight club.” Come on! What an iconic line from a cult classic movie. Of course, Fight Club is in my top three, with its effective critique of toxic masculinity, capitalism, and consumerism. The film’s nonlinear structure and the plot twist have become quite well-known in pop culture and I always have fun rewatching it and noticing new things. There are a lot of interesting filmmaking techniques integrated throughout the movie that create a distinctive visual style, and this is something I’ve appreciated much more after multiple viewings.
1. The Social Network (2010)
The Social Network is one of my favourite movies of all time. The premise is simple, following the inception of the social media site Facebook and the subsequent lawsuits brought against its founder, Mark Zuckerberg. The screenplay by Aaron Sorkin is a masterclass in writing efficient and quick-witted dialogue. Sorkin’s writing, coupled with Fincher’s detail-oriented direction, transforms what could have been a typical biopic into a tragic drama filled with tension and betrayal. Andrew Garfield’s performance, in particular, is outstanding as Eduardo Saverin, Zuckerberg’s initial business partner and friend, and adds a lot of emotional weight to the narrative. Also, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ atmospheric score provides a fitting backdrop and I sometimes listen to it for motivational purposes while I’m studying. Overall, I love this movie for its compelling exploration of themes of ambition and connection, making it, in my opinion, the best Fincher film.
¹ Gittell, Noah. “Alien 3 at 30: David Fincher’s Divisive Threequel Remains a Fascinating Failure.” The Guardian, May 22, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/may/22/alien-3-movie-1992-david-fincher.